Hi guys, I'm back again. So I decided to write this piece for Marco's birthday, but unfortunately I was just a little bit late in uploading it. Still, happy birthday Marco! Anyway, thanks to everyone who left me such lovely reviews last time :)

Shirohige Shenanigans 03 - Earrings

Ace drew in a deep breath and tried to ignore the incessant rumbling in his belly, as he followed Thatch through the busy marketplace full of mouth watering food. The Whitebeard pirates had stopped off at one of their protected islands to resupply, while also completing some much needed repair work to the Moby Dick in the port.

As the men worked together in various groups that Jozu had assigned, Thatch had taken it upon himself to steal Ace away for the afternoon. The fire user had freakish physical strength that could be put to good use pulling the food cart, and frankly Thatch had felt just a little bit sorry for him earlier.

Ace had been moping around for the last two days before they'd reached the island, doing an absolutely terrible job at hiding his crestfallen mood and pouting face whenever his eyes had lifted skywards.

Marco had set off on an important mission for Whitebeard three nights previously, leaving his boyfriend behind on the ship to await his return. The first night had been no problem for Ace; Thatch suspected the second division commander had taken the opportunity to rearrange his shared cabin with the phoenix during his absence, and probably made one hell of a mess of it. But by the time the second night had rolled around the novelty must have worn off, and Ace had taken to sulking.

Not one for letting any member of his family get left alone to feel depressed, Thatch had seized his chance and grabbed Ace by the cord of his hat, yanking him down the gangway and off into town without a word of warning (he hadn't been doing anything anyway).

Now the pleasant aromas of local cooking and baking were flooding the streets, putting a huge grin back on the younger man's face, along with the occasional dribble. Thatch laughed and gave himself an imaginary pat on the back as a reward, but made sure to keep an eye on the second division commander as he stopped to browse a herbs and spices stall.

"Don't go wandering off anywhere Ace," the chef advised, selecting a small jar of saffron and adding it to the basket he was carrying once he'd paid the seller. "We only have a set amount of money and I can't afford covering any extras if you get peckish."

The freckled man shook himself out of his daze to pout at his friend. "What do you mean 'if'?" he asked, feeling his stomach rumble yet again and almost wincing. "I'm always peckish. No, scratch that, I'm starving!"

Thatch rolled his eyes and waved for him to follow to another stall. "Tell me something I don't know," he muttered. "Honestly, shouldn't you be thinking about something other than food right now? Like perhaps a certain date that's coming up tomorrow?"

Ace paused, tilting his head in a show of confusion very similar to his younger brother. "Say what now?" he asked.

Thatch sighed, reaching over to have a feel of some different fruits, while vaguely considering what he might do with them. "Tomorrow," he repeated, reaching for his money and pointing at a crate of melons - Ace reluctantly moved to place them in the cart. "October fifth."

Dumping the bright yellow fruits into the cart, Ace turned and gave Thatch a weird look. "What about it? Someone's birthday or something?"

There were always a lot of birthdays on the Moby Dick, what with her having such a large crew. Most of the time a huge party was thrown to celebrate those born during each month; only occasionally were any held for a specific individual. The captain obviously had that right, but Ace knew Oyaji's birthday was in April so it couldn't be him. One of the commanders then - that had to be it. But which one?

"Yes, but I'm asking you who," Thatch told Ace patiently, reaching into his basket to check his shopping list and stroke off what they'd already purchased. "Have a really good think."

Ace let out a strangled sound and briefly entertained the idea of stamping his foot. "I don't know. Just tell me already."

"You're not even going to try?" Thatch questioned him. "Tut-tut Ace. And you call yourself a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. You should know the birthdates of all your comrades, particularly ones of significance such as this."

Ace scowled at him. "There are over a thousand of us," he deadpanned. "Forgive me for forgetting one."

"This could ruin your image as a caring member of our crew," Thatch continued dramatically, in a manner not unlike Izo's. "How will your division be able to confide in you if you let something like this happen?"

"Says the one carrying a damn basket under his arm!" Ace exclaimed, causing several people to pause and stare at him. "Throw that stupid shawl over your head and you'll look like an old grandma doing her weekly shop! Then who needs to worry about their image?"

Blinking at the insult Thatch turned and flicked Ace on the forehead, causing the fire user to wince and take a step back. "For your information it's called a foulard, not a shawl," he corrected. "And second, Izo gave me this basket to carry smaller items. Regardless of how it looks it works."

Ace pulled a face and looked away, rubbing the slightly red mark in the middle of his forehead. "Might have known Izo was involved somehow," he muttered.

"Involved in what?" Thatch asked, before raising a hand and shaking his head. "You know what, nevermind. You're just trying to change the subject." He suddenly set a strange look on Ace, making the logia user fidget awkwardly where he stood. "You really have no idea, do you."

"No!" Ace exclaimed quietly, this time at least managing to keep his voice down a little. "I don't. So will you just tell me already."

Thatch sighed and beckoned him to follow with the cart, heading towards a promising looking meat stall next. "It's Marco's, you oaf. Of all the birthdays for you to forget, it had to be that one."

Ace froze, eyes widening comically as the realisation dawned on him. Marco. Of course! How could he be so stupid? He'd completely forgotten about his own boyfriend's birthday!

"Shit. It's that soon?"

"No i just made it up," Thatch responded sarcastically. "Yes, it's that soon. I can't believe you forgot."

A frown appeared across Ace's face again as he thought back, trying to recall Marco's previous birthday celebration. He was stunned to find that he couldn't. Oh god, was he really that terrible a person?!

"I- I don't remember his party," the second division commander stammered in alarm, gripping his hat tightly between his fingers and yanking it down over his head. "I don't remember any of them! What the hell?"

Unconcerned by his nakama's rising panic, Thatch pointed to a large joint of lamb beneath the plastic covering of the meat stall, nodding as the owner reached in to retrieve it. "I can't say I'm surprised by that," the chef commented, ignoring Ace's mental breakdown behind him. "After all you've only been with us for three years. The first one you were too hell bent on killing Oyaji to take notice of anything else, and for the last two Marco was away on missions until after his birthday had passed."

Panic stopping abruptly, Ace glanced over his shoulder, a glimmer of relief shining in his eyes. "So, it's kinda forgivable that I didn't know?" he asked hopefully.

Thatch unfortunately wasn't prepared to let Ace off so easy. "Not really. You are his partner after all so that's pretty inexcusable, if you ask me." Ace immediately wilted. "But you still have time to redeem yourself."

"Really? How?"

Again, Thatch found himself rolling his eyes. "By buying him a present of course. You've got a day left. Better be quick though - he's due home tonight."

The hope returned to Ace's eyes as his face lit up, before slowly morphing into a look of panic once again. Marco was coming back tonight. That meant Ace not only had to find a present for him quickly, but also keep it a secret until the day arrived, assuming he found anything suitable at all. And Marco was always so bloody observant and could tell instantly when Ace was up to something. How the hell was he going to keep this a secret?

"Shit…"

By the time dinner rolled around, Ace found himself no further forward with his sudden dilemma over Marco's birthday. Having finished a smaller portion of food than he was used to consuming, the second division commander had wandered back outside, and taken to sitting on the edge of the Moby Dick's figurehead. Many of her crew were out enjoying the much needed shore leave, and from his position on the bow Ace could hear the distinct laughter of at least four of his fellow commanders. He however was in no real mood for a party.

The sky above him was slowly morphing from soft hues of purple and orange to a deep soothing blue, with the first few stars just beginning to twinkle as day gave way to night. Ace moved his gaze from the bustling town towards the open sea, scanning the growing darkness for even the faintest glimmer of phoenix flames. He wanted Marco back.

"Damn pineapple bird head," He grumbled petulantly - Marco hated that nickname, but it didn't stop Ace from using it out of the other's hearing. "What's taking him so long?"

A low rumbling chuckle from behind brought him out of his thoughts, accompanied by heavy footsteps that could only belong to one person on the ship. Turning his head, Ace glanced back over his shoulder and was greeted with the sight of his captain and father.

"Oyaji."

Whitebeard's grin, beneath his famous moustache that gave their mark its unique appearance, lit up the old man's face even in the dimming light of the setting sun, and he looked down at Ace with amused adoration.

"You seem troubled my son," he ventured a guess, stopping at the edge of the bow. "Want to offload it on your old man? A problem shared is a problem halved."

Ace blinked up at him, feeling a pleasant fluttering sensation in his chest at the old captain's words. It was always nice to hear that he was cared for by his crew, his family, and having Whitebeard himself come up to check on him made Ace feel valued beyond measure. He really had found a wonderful home here with the Yonko and his crew. Ace could talk to them about anything without fear of judgement or dismissal; they had made it possible for the freckled young man to find a place where he belonged, and he would be forever grateful for that.

He watched as the great man he'd dedicated his life to sat down beside him, a towering stature of power and comforting warmth that completely dwarfed him, and felt himself smile. "It's not so much that I'm troubled Oyaji," he began, turning back towards the town. "I've just got something I need to find and only a limited amount of time to do it."

"Oh?" Whitebeard asked curiously. "And what would that be Ace?"

The boy let out a soft sigh, slipping his hat back from his head and letting it dangle by the cord round his neck. "Marco's birthday is tomorrow," he said, knowing this would not be news to Whitebeard. "I kinda don't have a gift for him yet, and if I don't get him one I'll feel really guilty."

"Ah. I wondered if Marco had something to do with it," Whitebeard mused, using a large finger to ruffle Ace's black hair. "I'd noticed you seemed a bit down these past few days."

Ace smiled beneath the attention, playfully batting the finger away with his hands. "If I made you worry I didn't mean to," he said. "I've just never been very good at getting people presents. Luffy was easy; all I had to do was buy him meat or some weird object to keep him amused. But Marco…" He trailed off with a faint blush, scratching at his cheek with a finger. "He's special in a different way."

Whitebeard chuckled again, giving Ace a moment to get his bashfulness under control - the boy could be quite shy at times, despite what many seemed to believe. "So you want to get him a special gift that will stand out from what others might buy him, is that it?"

Ace nodded enthusiastically. "Not just any old thing. I spoke to some of the guys earlier, but they suggested typical birthday stuff like booze and cake." He shook his head at that.

Whitebeard birthday parties always contained an overwhelming amount of both those things, neither of which Ace was particularly fussed about - he didn't have much of a sweet tooth most of the time, and too much alcohol messed up his narcolepsy something awful, so he always had to be extra careful.

"Izo had a pretty good idea about buying him another sash, but I know you got him the one he already has and he wears it all the time. I wouldn't want him to think I was trying to replace it."

He smiled a little, recalling some of the times he'd found Marco carefully folding his beloved blue sash like it was the most precious thing in the world. Thank goodness it was made of such durable material - from Wano Country if memory served - as Ace had nearly set it on fire a few times, only to discover it was flame retardant! No simple sash from a small market stall could ever hope to replace something as impressive as that.

Whitebeard smiled. "That's considerate of you Ace. I'm sure there must be other options though, if you look hard enough. Did you get a chance to try finding anything here in town?"

The second division commander wobbled his hand back and forth, giving his shoulders a light shrug. "Sort of. But nothing really jumped out at me as something Marco would like. He's not one for carrying many worldly possessions. I saw some nice ornamental belts, but he's already got one of those too."

He sighed, flopping forward and dropping his head into one hand, leaning his elbow on a propped up knee. "I never really thought about it before, but present buying is hard work." He couldn't help but sulk a little. "At this rate I won't find anything for him in time."

Beside him Whitebeard let out a soft chuckle. "I'm sure something will come to you in time Ace," he spoke. "I have faith in you."

The boy beside him couldn't help but smile. "Hopefully you're right. Thanks Oyaji."

Marco let out an exhausted sigh as he wandered down the quiet corridor towards his cabin, having to work hard not to trail his feet as he went. The last few days had been long and demanding, but reaped the benefits of establishing a new alliance with another pirate crew.

Marco was a skilled negotiator, and with his ability of flight it made him an obvious choice for these particular missions whenever they popped up. Even amongst the commanders Whitebeard only trusted a select few with such an important task, and Marco came out right at the top of the list. He was glad to finally be home though.

Having stopped off in the galley to grab a bite to eat, the blonde had scribbled out a quick report for Oyaji to read in the morning, before heading to the commanders' showers and scrubbing away the day's grime from his skin.

Now clean and feeling a bit more relaxed, all Marco could think about was collapsing into his bed and sleeping until he woke - Vista had very kindly offered to take over his responsibilities the following morning, in order to give the phoenix a break. The knowledge that a certain raven haired fire starter would be waiting in the bed for him spurred the blonde on a little faster.

His door opened with a creak under his heavy hand, and as Marco slipped in he was immediately bathed in the soft glow of an oil lamp. The tiny flame flickered lazily in its glass housing, rising and falling gently with each breath of the person in the bed.

Marco blinked, his tired eyes taking in the new layout of his room; Ace had finally followed through with his threat it seemed to rearrange the cabin to his liking, and everything was swapped around and unfamiliar. Beyond the point of caring, Marco took the towel hanging round his neck and gave his damp hair one last scrub over, before chucking the towel onto his chair to be dealt with in the morning.

Kicking off his sandals, the blonde padded across the smooth wooden floor, and caught the top sheet between his fingers. A tattooed back faced him as Ace slumbered peacefully, and Marco found himself unable to resist dropping a soft kiss to a bare shoulder, all the while carefully slipping his body into the bed.

The mattress felt like a cloud as his tired body came to rest upon it, warm with Ace's body heat and the covers holding his scent amongst their fabrics - it was all a huge comfort to Marco after spending such a long and tiring couple of days away from home. He almost fell asleep right there; his head hit his pillow like a dead weight.

The light movement however was enough to rouse Ace from his dreams. He woke quickly but calmly, immediately recognising the arm that had slipped over his waist and the light tickle of blonde hair against the back of his neck.

He turned over slowly beneath Marco's fatigue-heavy arm, lifting his own to delicately touch his boyfriend's cheek. It was great to have him back. "Okaeri."

Eyes fluttering open sleepily, Marco managed to crack a small smile and nuzzle into Ace's hand. "Tadaima," he whispered back. "Sorry I took so long yoi."

Ace smiled, inching closer to peck Marco lovingly on the lips. "It's okay. You're back now so it's all good." He tilted his head a fraction. "How did the meeting go?"

Marco shifted a little and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly before opening his eyes. Even though he was beyond the point of exhaustion, he could stay up just a bit longer and talk with Ace. His boyfriend's voice always helped to soothe him, and after the flight home in less than ideal weather conditions, he needed the help to relax.

"It was a success," he answered tiredly. "I wrote Oyaji a report, but basically the meet went without a hitch. The trip there and back was the worst part of it yoi."

"Well you're home safe now," Ace said, moving his fingers across Marco's skin and towards his hair. They paused just over the blonde's ear, fingertips brushing against the lobe, and Ace frowned curiously. "Do you have a piercing?" He asked, feeling for the first time a slight indent in his boyfriend's ear. He leaned up to peer at it closely in the lamp light.

"Used to," Marco mumbled, closing his eyes. "Had two of them years ago. You never noticed before?"

Ace shook his head, continuing to gently feel at Marco's ear - the blonde didn't seem to mind, probably because Ace was so gentle. "So how does that work with all healing blue flames then?" the freckled man asked. "When you got your ear pierced, didn't the holes just close up again straight away?"

Marco let out a small chuckle. "I can control what I heal and what I don't yoi," he explained in a quiet voice. "My flames can tell the difference between what's a threat and what's not."

Ace let out a small hum of interest at learning this new piece of information, and then a big smile suddenly broke out across his face - thankfully Marco was too sleepy to notice. The idea that Ace had been waiting for had finally come to him, and it took all of his willpower not to jump out of the bed then and there to go in search of his prize. He had to remind himself that none of the stalls in the market would be open at such a late hour.

"So why don't you wear earrings then?" he asked curiously, frowning and giving Marco's shoulder a light shake when he realised the blonde was dozing off. Maybe he didn't like wearing them after all, in which case Ace's new plan was doomed to fail already.

"Ace…" Marco whined, not very happy at being disturbed. "Lemme sleep yoi…"

"Please? Just tell me quickly," Ace begged.

A moment dragged past and then Marco drew in another deep breath, letting it out heavily as he started to get cranky. Normally he could function pretty well without much sleep, but once he reached a certain point he grew to resemble a dragon more than a phoenix, and a grumpy one at that.

"I lost them," he growled out, a frown creasing his forehead as he spoke through his teeth. "Never got new ones."

Ace's eyes lit up. "So you do like them then?"

"Ace!"

The fire user cringed a little and smiled apologetically. "Okay okay, I get it." Pulling his hand away, Ace pressed his lips to Marco's forehead, keeping them there until he felt the creases ease away as the first division commander relaxed again.

"I'll let you sleep now," Ace whispered, making himself comfortable against the other's body. Hearing Marco let out a grunt of acknowledgement, Ace flicked his fingers to snuff out the flame in the lamp, and settled down for the night with his boyfriend as darkness engulfed the room.

Now that he finally had an idea of what to get Marco for his birthday, he was really excited. He couldn't wait until morning so he could go looking for his gift. He just had to hope he'd be able to find it.

When the thick veil of sleep finally released Marco into the waking world the following day, it was already early afternoon. The first thing the blonde noticed as he blinked his drowsiness away was that he was sprawled across the bed in the most comfortable position he could imagine. The second thing was that he was alone.

"Ace?" he mumbled quietly, though he wasn't really expecting an answer. While Ace loved sleeping and could do so in the most awkward and unusual of places (thanks to his narcolepsy) he wasn't one for lazing around all day in bed. Marco wasn't either to be honest, but after his mission he'd more than needed the extra sleep.

Realising by the noise levels above deck that it must be at least lunchtime, the first division commander hauled himself out of bed and moved to get dressed. It took him a minute to orientate himself and locate his chest of drawers, thanks to Ace's little switch-around of every piece of furniture in the room. Luckily his clothes were still where Marco had left them, even if the drawers themselves had been moved, allowing Marco to dress without any further delay.

Wrapping his beloved blue sash around his hips and attaching the golden belt, Marco had a brief glance at himself in the small wall mirror before leaving his cabin and heading up on deck. Stepping out into the fresh air and sunlight he paused, taking a moment to enjoy being back on the Moby Dick, before he was ambushed by a whole bunch of his brothers.

"Happy birthday Marco!" they all chorused, and there was even some confetti thrown over him from the railings above.

"Morning sleepyhead," Izo greeted, while Thatch insisted upon blowing a party horn right in his ear. "We've been waiting for ages - it's about time you got up."

Marco winced at the loud noise and shook confetti from his hair, dusting it down off his shoulders and to the planking. "I'm beginning to wish I hadn't," he commented, but smiled anyway at his crewmates. "But thank you yoi," he added genuinely. "I'd actually forgotten my own birthday."

"Well it's a good thing we didn't," Thatch laughed, slinging an arm round Marco's shoulders. "Wait until you see your cake. I went all out this year! And we've got a big feast organised as well, so I hope you're hungry."

Marco nodded, finding himself suddenly being swept away by all of his excited crewmembers, who were no doubt desperate to get at the food and start partying. Feeling just a tad overwhelmed, Marco ducked out from under Thatch's arm and actually managed to slip away from the group, watching with amusement as they continued on into the galley unhindered.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned as he heard a familiar chuckle, and saw Whitebeard sitting in his chair at the centre circle of the deck. Marco loved his brothers and it meant a lot to him that they'd arranged a party for him (like they needed an excuse) but right now he wasn't quite ready for the inevitable chaos that would follow. A chance to talk with his father however sounded far more appealing, so he wandered across the deck and approached the man.

"Did you get my report Oyaji?" He asked, resting a hand casually on his hip as he stopped before Whitebeard's chair.

The large man nodded, leaning forward and ruffling Marco's hair with a finger, much the same as he'd done with Ace the previous night. "I did, and I'm proud of you for seeing the mission through to the end. Welcome home Marco, and happy birthday my son."

Smiling under the gentle attention of such a powerful man, Marco basked in it for a moment and let out a small chuckle. "Thanks Oyaji," he replied as Whitebeard sat back again. "By the way, do you know where Ace is? He wasn't around when I woke up, and I didn't see him with the others."

The corners of Whitebeard's eyes crinkled with his smile. "He had a small errand to run this morning and took off into town, but he promised me he'd be back in time for the party."

"Oh, okay," Marco replied, wondering what Ace might be up to. It wasn't like him to run off unannounced, but so long as he was okay then Marco saw no point in worrying. "In that case I guess I'll just head through and-"

"Marco!"

"Speak of the devil," Whitebeard smiled, turning his head just in time to see Ace come running back up onto the ship. A small paper bag was held in one of his hands with its handles looped round the fire user's wrist, and Whitebeard quickly realised that Ace must finally have found a suitable gift for Marco.

The phoenix however remained oblivious of that fact, and was almost bowled over by such an enthusiastic greeting; Ace literally threw himself at him.

"Happy birthday! Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, but I wanted to get you your present."

Marco chuckled and looped his arms round Ace's waist once he'd recovered his balance, vaguely aware of Whitebeard getting to his feet behind them and passing towards the galley. "So that's what you were up to yoi," the blonde mused, smiling as Ace continued to hold onto him for a few seconds longer than normal. "I did wonder."

Dropping back down from his toes and pulling away just enough to look Marco in the eyes, Ace gave him one of the brightest smiles the phoenix had ever seen. "Well this is your first birthday since we've been together, so obviously I wanted to get you something."

He took the bag off from round his wrist and held it up for Marco to take. "I hope you like it. I didn't really know what to get you at first so that's why I only bought it today. You're difficult to buy for."

Chuckling as he saw a blush starting to appear on Ace's cheeks, Marco accepted the bag with a quiet thank you and looked inside. There was a small box inside that looked to contain some kind of jewellery, and Marco glanced quickly at Ace before pulling it out.

"I hope you didn't spend too much money on me yoi. You should save up for yourself instead."

"I've got enough saved," Ace told him, taking the bag and burning it in his hand as a distraction. "Besides, you're worth it."

Marco couldn't help but smile at that comment, and carefully pried open the box lid to reveal its contents. His guess had been right about jewellery, and a vague sleepy memory from the previous night suddenly made far more sense to him. Two small gold hoop earrings were set in the cushion of the box, and immediately caught the sun's light as Marco held them up to get a closer look. Pure gold of the finest quality, they glinted brilliantly within their casing.

"I figured you could wear them both in one ear," Ace mumbled, anxious to hear what Marco thought of his gift and hoping it was enough. "While you were sleeping I kinda checked your other ear and saw you've only got the left one done. So if they haven't healed over…"

A pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around him, drawing Ace immediately into Marco's firm chest. He blinked in surprise, having partly convinced himself that he'd screwed up with his choice of gift, then relaxed into the embrace and closed his eyes.

"Thank you yoi," Marco murmured in his boyfriend's ear, turning his lips to kiss him on the temple. "They're perfect."

Ace felt his chest swell with pride and relief, sinking more into Marco's arms and wrapping his own around the blonde in turn. "You're welcome. Like I said you're worth it, and I figured they'd suit you."

Smiling happily as Ace pulled away, Marco carefully removed the earrings from their box and lifted them towards his ear. After a moment of brief fiddling, they both slipped easily through his old piercings, and he checked that they were securely fastened. Once he was sure of that, he pulled his hands away and turned his head so that Ace could see them better.

"How do they look yoi?"

The fire user grinned widely and nodded. "Like they belong there."

"Perfect," Marco replied, and then he leaned down and brought their lips together.

Ace let out a quiet sound of surprise, since Marco wasn't usually one for such public displays of affection (though in this case the deck was empty) before relaxing and kissing the blonde back contentedly.

When they finally pulled apart a moment later, Ace caught his breath and gripped the front of Marco's open shirt. He nipped his bottom lip and giggled excitedly. "Come on. Let's go and get this party started. Everyone is waiting."

"I know that yoi," Marco murmured huskily, smirked as he saw Ace shiver. "But can't I keep you to myself for just a little longer?"

A cheeky grin appeared on Ace's lips, accompanied by a devilish flash in his eyes. "There'll be plenty of time for that later," he promised, sliding his hands slowly up Marco's chest. "I've got another birthday gift for you, but that one is definitely for our room only."

Marco swallowed and tried not to think too much into that sentence. "I like the sound of that already."

Chuckling at the look on his boyfriend's face, Ace linked their hands together and started pulling him towards the galley. They entered to a cheer from the crew and more blasted confetti and party horns, but Marco laughed along with everyone else as music started from the band and Thatch opened the buffet.

Ace scampered off to get food, having been left starving following his hunt through town for Marco's gift, and the first division commander was quickly joined by some of the others as Izo noticed the pair of gleaming rings in his left ear.

Marco took all of the attention in his stride and allowed himself to get swept up into the party spirit, every now and then lifting a hand to touch his new earrings. The warm smooth metal was comforting and felt right beneath his fingertips, and he made the decision then and there to never take them out. Like his beloved sash that had been gifted to him by Oyaji, his earrings from Ace were a part of him now, and reminded him of how much he was loved.

Marco had had many great birthdays, but this one was turning out to be the best yet.

I hope you guys enjoyed this. Sorry if it's not as fluid as my other writing - I finished this at 3am. Please drop me a review if you liked it, and I'll start work on number 4.